Perceptions and Actions

Immersion, well it is like a new word for us student nurses in USC but as we realized that each and everyone of us must experience this once-in a lifetime event, living in a remote place or should I say, a community. We were oriented before we were immersed so as to know what immersion really is, and maybe others may love....or hate it during the actual immersion. We may not know what immersion really is until we ourselves have immersed in the said area, like it was, for 3 weeks. Well, it doesn't sound that easy though because we must bring our equipment which is suitable for the many days to come in the area, and especially we were assigned at a very far place in Cebu, in the Municipality of Sogod, approximately 60 kilometers north. By that time, we were so shocked from what I've saw in the bulletin board. We were situated in a farther place than the others. But we don't have other choice but to go through it once and for all.

First things first, time for adjustments. As we reached our Immersion Area, what we saw was an awe of gasp...the house itself, the interior, so small, so many things to do and so many cleaning to be done. And sooner it became our immersion house, which we will be loving...and hating it for sure in the next three weeks. The following days to come signifies us that we must adjust to the new environment that we are in for us to survive the "hellish" 18 days here. But as days passed, we soon realized that our immersion area was much better than the other immersion areas, because we can feel that it is really a remote place and we can experience more through this. We may have some setbacks regarding our housing but it was soon resolved with the help of our RLE coordinator. Without them, we boys will have to sleep outside the house and will be prone to sickness due to weather conditions. All is well during the first few days in the immersion house until problems arise during the 4th day, it was a rainy dawn, some of my classmates were outside and our sleeping gear were soaked, and it proved no match against Mother Nature's wrath. So everyone was stockpiled inside the immersion house. this became a problem, not all can sleep since it is very small. What we did was "sinardinas" instead.

Although not all of us have been exposed to this kind of environment, like what it feels like to be poor and what it feels like to be far away from home. But in my case, it is just like similar to my past home in Cebu City where I grew up. The way we live in the immersion house, I could reflect on it that I already experienced this since I was young and for that I have no complaints in living as a poor individual in Sogod. And I am very happy that I can encounter this again, but since this is immersion. We should not be relaxing, taking a vacation or anything. We are here for a cause, "to make the people self-reliant to their needs" as mentioned in COPAR. In other words, we are still in class but much different. Aside form doing some requirements, all of us were assigned to a specific task like being the cook, marketer, fetcher, housekeeper, and dishwasher. Every 2 days we were rotated and tasked via "bunot". Some of us were happy from what they picked and others were disappointed, but we have no much choice and just to do it. The marketers go to the town to buy needs for the immersion house, food, and anything that comes up in our minds. The cooks cook food for all of us in the immersion house, and goes home early during outside activities. The fetchers would fetch water for the whole immersionists, and would refill up emptied bottles of the dispensers. The housekeepers maintain the cleanliness of the house, the inside and outside as well. The dishwashers, obviously washes all dishware, cooking utensils, etc... The most tiresome job will be as dishwashers. That is because every time one finishes eating and so does everybody else, there would be many "hugasanan" to be done for and it just keeps filling in every minute. That is very insulting.

Many days have passed and our proposed activities were implemented day by day, we devised a plan to conduct a Culminating Activity. It is a way in saying thanks for all of the days that we were there in their barangay. It is time for us to say goodbye to the community people for all the three weeks that we have been there for their needs and problems. Some of us cried our hearts out because it has been a wonderful time with them, and it has come to an end. Tears spurned out within our eyes as we say goodbye to our fellow families. We may be gone but their impression towards us student nurses will never erase to their minds for what we have done for them is a meaningful and fruitful one. We hope that the next batch would be much better than ours, but only if they will adjust, and learn to survive the many days to come.